Ignorance is one of our greatest threats: Tom Hanks

Actor Tom Hanks, who is returning as genius symbologist Robert Langdon in upcoming mystery thriller film "Inferno", says the real "inferno" today is ignorance, which he described as chaos overtaking the planet.

"Ignorance is one of our greatest threats: the idea of being able to solve complex issues with simplistic solutions," Hanks said in the Italian city of Florence on Thursday, where the film will have its world premiere on Saturday.

"Just think about what happened in the Middle East. Or about the decision that we Americans find ourselves having to take every four years," Hanks said, calling on voters to educate themselves properly and ask the right questions before entering the polling booths.

The film, directed by Ron Howard, has been extensively shot in Florence, Venice and Turkey.

Felicity Jones plays Dr. Sienna Brooks, Langdon's partner in solving the mystery, and Ben Foster portrays Bertrand Zobrist, the villain scientist.

The film also stars Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan.

--IANS

sas/rb/bg